The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-11-11
a MORMON GIRL.


A Revelation OF the iniquiues OF
Poiygamy--The unhapplness OF
Mormon Wives.
A correspondent at Salt Lake City
tells a story OF the experience OF a
Mormon girl as related by herself.
She said:
l have often been asked to marry
Mormons who had wives. 1 will tell
you about one OF them, Il wealthy
man, now dead. His name was
Franklin Neff. One day his wife-the
only wife he %had-came to our house
and had a talk with me. She said she
wanted me to marry Mr.. Nef. 1 was
only fifteen, but l knew what polyg-
amy was, and | had set my heart
against it. "Nell, Mrs. Neff," | said,
'if he wants me he'll have to sum.
mon up cheek enough to ask me him.
SELF"
said this in fun. and then asked
Mrs. Neff Whist she thought about it.
She said herself and husband had
talked the whole matter over
and she had come to the con-
c!usion that as her husband was
obliged to take a second wife she
knew nobody she'd sooner have him
take than myself, therefore she begged
me when he called to give him afavor-
able answer. This proposition, COM
ing from a woman thirth-five years
old, who had been married for years
to q husband of about the same age,
and who had assisted him in accumu-
lating his wealth, was at once strange
and amusing. Mr.. Neff called that
night. and, in answer to his question,
l told him that he must be crazy to
make such an offer OF marriage to q
mere child, but he insisted that he
was in earnest, and he went to nv
mother, who on account OF his high
position in the church, was afraid to
llatly refuse him. Mother SAID she
would not go against my wishes, but
il he could persuade meinto polygamy
she would offer no objection; at the
same time she warned me not to give
my consent Tor any consideration.
Mrs. Neff came round to see me sew
eral times, and was always urging me
to marry her husband, saying that he
could not live without me, and both
OF them would be all the happier for
it. But the more she talked the firm
er l became in my resistance. They
invited me to spend a few days at
their country home. | wanted to re-
fuse. but mother said l had better 20.
went, and don't think spent u
more miserable time anywhere in all
my life, THE husband was continual
ly asking ME to go buggy-riding with
him and the vile vas coaxingme t % con-
sent. Still, l thought saw that the
woman was unhappy. She seemed to
be doing what she did against her
will. A ball was gwen in the neighbour
hood and l wanted to GO. Mrs. Neff
asked me to 90 with Frank chat was
her husbands name), but said no, L
would 90 alone, unless she agreed to
go along. She agreed. and went. That
man tried his vary hardest that night
to dance with me, and his wife even
asked me to dance with him but
kept plenty OF engagements ahead
with the young fellows and he got no
dance.
omeoneth then told him that would
not dance with him while Mrs. Nef was
present, so he told her and she went
home. After she went he came to me
and said she had gone and he hoped
now he would have the pleasure Of a
dance, but | continued to make ex.
cuses and avoided him. The time
came for to 60 home, and l refused to
allow him to accompany me unless
there was q third party along. His
brother Amos accompanied us, and
after leaving me at the door the two
men went to Amos Neff's house. l
found Mrs. Netf in her room in tears
a more h~eartbroken woman l never
saw. She had been sitting there fret.
ting and crying and hours,
thinking that was dancing with her
husband and that l was coming home
alone with him. And only the uight
before she had sat up with me until
- o'clock trying to talk me into mar.
rying him, making all sorts OF prom.
Uses, and saying that herself and Mr..
Neff would write deeds for one-half of
all the property and possessions they
had if would only give my consent.
She begged me not to say anything
to her husband about the crying
scene. as he would scold her for it;
but said / thought it my duty to
tell him, and also to let him know the
opinion l had OF him. l told Mrs.
Neff not to grieve, as l would never
cause her the. slightest sorrow, and
sent her to bed a much happier wom-
an than l ! had found her on my COM
ing in. Next morning at the break
fast table Mr.. Netf said something
about polygamy. That was all the
provocation l wanted. l said: "Mr.
Nef, if you were any kind OF a man at
ell, or had yer the commonest hui
man instincts, you'd let polygamy
alone. You have a wife who is too
good for you, and who loves you bet
ter than you deserve-stick to her
and let other women alone" Then l
told him the condition in which l
had found his wife on coming home
from the ball. His face grew white,
and, laying down his knife and fork,
he arose from the table and left the
room. went home that morning,
and neither saw Mr.. Neff nor her
from him again. He never2went
polygamy. and | felt very glad
4 for the sake Of the heart-broken little
woman, to whom q second wife by her
Husbands side would have meant a
speedy death.
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